March 29

”Having talent is like having blue eyes. You don't admire a man for the colour of his eyes. I admire a man for what he does with his talent.” Michael Caine

I’m firm believer in the fact that I was put here for a purpose. I have faith that my Higher Power not only created me for a reason, but that I was given the talents necessary to realize that goal as well. So therefore I have an obligation to discover what my talents are, to practice and strengthen them, and most importantly, use them so that they will be shared with the world. This page, like those before it and those I expect to follow, is part of the sharing of my talents. My writing I know is an extension of my connection to the God of my understanding. It is my own wisdom shared for others to find and take into their own lives. I know that it has been my own words staring back at me that have reminded me of a message I truly needed to hear. That kind of evidence of a Higher Power is hard to ignore. I also see that evidence of a talent shared is something that draws me to other people. I am less interested in those who have great appearances than I am towards those making an honest effort to exploit their talents for the betterment of others. These are the kinds of people I want to surround myself with, who I know will be there for me no matter what, and who have a better appreciation of what it means to truly live.

Affirmation Step 12 tells me to seek to give back to the program, and to the world, the gift of recovery so that others may also share in its success, and my talents will help to do so.

September 30

”Service is the rent we pay to be living. It is the very purpose of life and not something to do in your spare time.” Marian Wright Edelman

I know for a fact that most of my life has been spent wondering how I can get what I want. It centered on looking to get what I felt I deserved or what was owed to me. It was certainly not focused on what I had to give, on how I was able to share of myself with others. No, I was very self-centered and concerned first and foremost with my own needs. The thing is, I am not more important that anyone else in this world. The universe does not owe me what I want or desire. My Higher Power certainly has a plan for my life, but it’s not to hand over everything I ask for on a silver platter. Recovery is teaching me that my life is meant to be about service, about looking at what I can do for others. The culmination of the Steps is the 12th, focused on “carrying the message to others” – in other words being of service. I was privileged enough to get a second chance, which obligates me to spread the word and find ways to help others have the same opportunity. Service, like working my program, is not something I do like a job from 9-5, but needs to integrate into the new person I have become.

Affirmation I will seek ways to serve others today, whether in relation to my 12-Step work, or simply as another human being, here to share my talents with those around me.

September 4

”Life’s most persistent and urgent question is ‘What are you doing for others?’” Martin Luther King Jr.

Reaching a more stable point in my life makes me ask the question “What next?” The program knows the answer, and it’s all captured in the 12th Step, “carrying the message to others.” The implication here is that now that the program has helped me rise out of my own pit of despair, I have a certain duty to share my message, strength and hope with others. My service work doesn’t have to stop at the doors of my meetings though. Being a grateful recovering sex addict hasn’t just improved me in terms of my addictive behaviours, but as a whole person. I am living more authentically in all aspects of my life. I have rediscovered talents and abilities within me that are meant to be shared with the world. In essence my spiritual awakening has been about the journey of learning how I am meant to serve my Higher Power. Being open to the will of the God of my understanding, listening for the good orderly direction in my mediation and reflection, is the primer for me to serve my fellow man. I am less self-centered than I used to be and more selfless – I want to share the happiness, joy and wisdom that has blessed my recovery and returned me to the person I was always meant to be.

Affirmation It is in giving that we receive; my gift of recovery is priceless. I can never repay the debt but I will share with any willing to listen.